Assessing Responsiveness to Non-Medical Needs of Inpatients in  Educational-Therapeutic Hospitals in Gorgan, 2022

Alireza  Heidari; Seyed Hamed  Atashi; Farideh  Kouchak; Zahra  Khatirnamani

doi:10.18502/ijme.v18i1.18674

Alireza Heidari Assistant professor, Health Management and Social Development Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.
Seyed Hamed Atashi General Physician, Health Management and Social Development Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.
Farideh Kouchak Assistant professor, Health Management and Social Development Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.
Zahra Khatirnamani Ph.D Student in Biostatistics, Health Management and Social Development Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijme.v18i1.18674

Keywords: Health System Responsiveness, Inpatient Care, Non-Medical Aspects of Care.

Abstract

Addressing patients’ non-medical needs reflects the desires of patients and their families to engage more actively in decision-making and treatment processes. The present study aimed to assess the level of responsiveness to the non-medical needs of hospitalized patients. This was a cross-sectional study conducted using a descriptive-analytical approach. A total of 392 patients hospitalized in Shahid Sayad Shirazi and 5 Azar educational-therapeutic hospitals, affiliated with Golestan University of Medical Sciences in Gorgan, were included in the study. Participants were selected through systematic random sampling. Data were collected using the validated and reliable responsiveness questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The mean (±SD) age of participants was 45.17 (±16.92) years, with 55.1% being male. The mean (±SD) overall score for the importance of responsiveness was 33.37 (±4.45), which was above the average. The majority of patients (over 65%) rated all dimensions of responsiveness as very important or extremely important. The most important dimension from the patients' perspective was the quality of the surrounding environment (95.9%), while the least important was the confidentiality of personal information (34.7%). The mean (±SD) overall score for responsiveness performance was 54.54 (±8.70), which was above the average. The overall score of the responsiveness performance and importance in Sayad Shirazi and 5 Azar educational hospitals was above average. Dimensions deemed important by patients but with weaker performance should be prioritized, and educational and therapeutic centers should pay more attention to patients’ non-clinical expectations.